Punting in Cambridge, UK

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Sunlight played over the River Cam. People in punts happily shouted at each other to smiley - off.
- Douglas Adams in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Flowing serenely through Cambridge in the winter, and gridlocked by confused tourists in the summer, the River Cam is one of the few places in Britain where anyone with a decent sense of balance* can try their hand at punting. A punt is a small, flat-bottomed wooden boat designed to fit around six people, one of whom is standing at the back with a pole and trying not to fall in.

Why Bother?

Technique

Firstly, you will have to stand on the back of the punt and try to keep your balance there. This part is actually a lot easier than it looks (punts are flat-bottomed and very stable), but if you're wearing stilletos you may want to try taking them off and going barefoot instead. If possible, get the people in the boat to hold onto the riverbank to stop you drifting into the river while you get a feel for standing on the deck.

Traditionally, punting in Cambridge involves standing on the flat deck* at one end of the boat, rather than the curved slats at the other. This may be because it's easier to balance on the flat part, but more likely because Oxford University do the opposite.

To propel the punt forwards, drop the punt pole into the water until it touches the riverbed, to your right if you are right-handed, or to your left if you are left-handed. The pole should be almost vertical, but tilted slightly forward so that when you push on it the boat will go forward. Push down until the pole is mostly underwater, and pointing behind you.

Once the punt is moving, you can use the pole as a rudder to steer. After you've pushed yourself forwards, the pole will float to the surface and trail behind the punt. Dragging the pole through the water to your right and holding it there will turn the boat to the right, and vice versa. Use this to correct your course after every push on the pole and you will be able to keep the boat on a good straight line.

Punting on one side and then using the pole to steer is the least tiring way of keeping the boat going forward. If you find that when you push down with the pole the boat veers off to the side, try angling the pole slightly under the punt to correct for this. Don't try to alternate punting to the left and the right of the boat - it's a lot of effort to lift the heavy punt pole across the boat each time, and your passengers will complain that you're splashing them with water or (if you're really clumsy) about to knock them senseless with a ten foot long wooden stick.

Don't worry if at first you go crashing from one riverbank to the other, rather than in a straight line. You won't be the only one, this part of the river is only used by punts and canoes*, and you're providing entertainment for the people on the bridges who were sensible enough to stay on dry land. Don't let them steal your punt pole.

Bridges


Some of the older colleges have low bridges connecting their buildings. Usually all it takes to get under these is a strong push just before the bridge. Clare College Bridge has particularly low arches, and if you can't crouch low enough to get under it you might need to jump onto the lower deck of the punt. Keep the pole trailing behind you in the water so you can use it to steer whilst under the bridge.

Mud


Especially upriver, towards Grantchester, some parts of the river-bed are very muddy. Give the punt pole too strong a push, and when you try to pull the pole out of the water you'll find it stuck there. At this point you have two choices: let go of the pole and look silly for losing it, or hang on and look even sillier when the boat drifts on, leaving you behind to fall in the river.

The Backs

The most popular punting route for tourists is along the river where it runs through the town, along the backs of some of the more famous colleges of Cambridge University. Admire the famous view of King's College Chapel, pretend to be a Venetian gondolier under the Bridge of Sighs in St John's College, and marvel at the ugliness of Queens' College's Erasmus Building, which was supposed to look like a row of trees.

Punts can be hired from several punting companies along the river. Most of these are clustered around the weir next to Queens' College and Darwin College. You can also punt upstream from the quay at Magdalene Bridge, and or from the back of some colleges.

Too much like hard work?

Punt tours are a more sedate (though more expensive) way to see the colleges from the river. Most of the punting companies offer chauffeured trips along the Backs, where the punter is also your tour guide. If you'd rather sit back, take some photos and listen to the history of the university and its colleges then you might prefer this to trying punting for yourself.

Especially in the summer, the parts of Cambridge around the river have a high density of "punt touts". Usually recognisable by their clipboard, waistcoat and matching straw boater, their job is to lure tourists towards the punt hire stations.

Upriver

Taking a boat upstream towards the village of Grantchester is much more peaceful. Grantchester is around two miles away, which takes some time in a punt (two hours if you know what you're doing, longer if not), but there are plenty of spots where you can pull up a punt and sit in the meadows* for a picnic. Close to Grantchester there is a small mooring point where you can lock up punts if you want to stop for a pint or a cream tea.

Night Punting

A popular student pastime, especially in May Week* after the end of exams, is to hire a punt in the evening and take it to Grantchester and back. Punting upstream as the sun sets is easy enough, but after having a drink in the pub you still need to punt back in the dark. Navigation is difficult, so your best bet is to let your eyes adapt to the darkness and use the shapes of the trees on either side to guess where the riverbanks are. Torches are much less helpful than you'd expect - they don't light up enough of the river and just spoil your night vision.

Whether or not you plan to stop and warm up in a pub, it gets very cold on the river at night, so take warm coats and blankets. Unless the weather is perfect, umbrellas are a good idea, too.

Despite being tricky, on a clear night when the stars are out and all you can hear are bats squeaking and the gentle splash of water against the boat, night punting is a beautifully tranquil experience, and definitely worth the effort.

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